02032019-ATR-01.qxd 3/2/2019 12:16 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE PAGE 2 CIVIC BODY FIELD OFFICERS GET POS MACHINES It will help MC officials accept digital payments through card swiping machines. FORECAST THUNDERSTORM WITH RAIN INBRIEF DC MEETS OFFICIALS Tarn Taran: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal held a meeting with officials of different departments on Friday. Officials of the police, civil defense, education, health, animal husbandry, rural, sanitation and water supply, PSPCL, BSNL, Roadways, etc. participated in the meeting. The DC instructed the officials concerned to identify safe locations where residents can be shifted in case of migration. He also asked them to be ready to make arrangement, if needed, for food, medicines and fodder for livestock. OC PACT SIGNED Amritsar: Walmart India and PhonePe, a payment platform, have entered into a partnership to launch PhonePe as a payment option at the former’s 23 B2B Cash & Carry stores. It has stated that PhonePe is a part of the Flipkart Group, in which Walmart has a majority stake. Under the new collaboration, registered members of Walmart India’s Best Price Stores across the country will now be able to pay for their purchases via the PhonePe app on their mobile phone, drawing on funds from a bank account using the secure UPI or from a PhonePe wallet, third-party wallet, credit card or debit card. TNS FUEL PRICES PETROL ~72.30 DIESEL ~66.52 WHAT’S ON AMRITSAR CHEQUE DISTRIBUTION: A cheque distribution function under Pardhan Mantri Awas Yojana at the Municipal Corporation office at 11.30 am. I WANT MY ROLES TO BE COMPLICATED: VICKY KAUSHAL Vicky Kaushal says in real life, he is quite a ‘safe’ person, but he doesn’t mind experimenting with roles. MAX 24°C | MIN 9°C | YESTERDAY MAX 21°C | MIN 8°C SUNSET SATURDAY 6:29 PM Attari (amritsar), March 1 Carrying tricolour flags, garlands and posters, scores of enthusiastic people assembled at the Attari Joint Check Post (JCP) to receive Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was released by Pakistan late on Friday evening. People started arriving in Attari, around 30 km from Sikh holy city of Amritsar, since 6 am. Their numbers swelled to hundreds by 10.30 am. “We have come here to welcome our country’s hero back home. We will give him a grand welcome. He showed a lot of bravery in the air combat and even after being captured by the Pakistanis,” Jitender, a resident of Amritsar who arrived here with his friends, said. The Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the JCP and the 553-km long International Border with Pakistan in Punjab, Punjab Police and other security agencies stationed additional personnel since early Friday morning. The people, mostly from Amritsar district and other parts of Punjab, were kept around 1 km away from the actual border gates located at the Zero Line between India and Pakistan. “The rush of people has been stopped at the outer gates of the JCP to ensure security in the area,” a BSF officer told IANS. Many people could be seen getting their faces painted with the tricolours. “We are excited to give a hero’s welcome to Abhinandan when he returns. We want to take him in a big procession,” Amritsar Deputy Mayor Raman Bakshi said here. Ashutosh Rana will soon be seen as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in magnum opus web series Chhatrasal. SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:56 AM SATURDAY | 2 MARCH 2019 | AMRITSAR People in a jubilant mood as they wait for the repatriation of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman near the Attari border; and a baker offers free cake to those raising patriotic slogans in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTOS: VISHAL KUMAR/SUNIL The 35-year-old Wing Commander was captured on Wednesday by Pakistan after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was hit by Pakistan Air Force jets near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, a city-based baker marked the occasion in a unique manner on Friday. Grover Bakery offered specially prepared cakes, bearing a picture each of Abhinandan, to those customers who raised ‘Jai Hind’ slogans. — IANS curb the copying menace. Cheating will not be allowed.” Minister fumes at Bachiwind school head At Government Senior Secondary School, Bachiwind, the principal was unable to answer questions regarding the infrastructure, the status of students and other details asked by School Education Minister OP Soni and Education Secretary Krishan Kumar. The principal, who is already on a second extension term, was ordered to be relieved as Soni issued instructions for the cancellation of his extension. Students find paper easy Students discuss their question paper after the exam in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Amritsar, March 1 The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) examination for Class XII began on Friday amid surprise inspections conducted by School Education Minister OP Soni and Education Secretary Krishan Kumar. As many as 31,989 regular students and 869 open students appeared for Punjabi exam in the district. Soni, accompanied by Kris- PAGE 4 Carrying flags and posters, scores of people gather at Attari border to welcome Wing Commander No case of unfair means; Bachiwind school head faces Soni’s ire Tribune News Service ASHUTOSH RANA TO PLAY EMPEROR AURANGZEB Day-long wait for hero’s Abhinandan PSEB Class XII exams begin amid Education Minister’s inspection Divya Sharma PAGE 3 han Kumar, inspected examination centres near the Pakistan border. District Education Officer (Secondary) Salvinder Singh Samra and District Education Officer (Elementary) Jugraj Singh were also present. The team visited government senior secondary schools in Lopoke, Sarngraha, Bachiwind and Modhey. They also inspected examination centres at Khemkaran. The officials along with the minister also checked the mid-day meal facility and infrastructural development of the schools. As many as 259 have been established in the district. No case of unfair means was reported from any of the centres. Meanwhile, during a visit to Government Senior Secondary School, Sarngraha, the minister checked the midday meal and asked the secretary to post adequate teachers to strengthen the studies. Soni said, “The department has been working hard to Most of the Class XII students came out of their examination centres in a cheerful mood as they found the Punjabi exam quite easy. They said the exam was not at all difficult in accordance with their preparation. “My paper went well. It was easier than my expectation. I hope for the best in the upcoming exams,” said Mithali Singh Rathore, a student of Shri Ram Ashram Senior Secondary School. Another student, Bhavna Mahajan, added, “The examination was easy but a bit lengthy.” c m y b Woman booked for fraud Amritsar, March 1 The police have booked a woman for allegedly duping a local resident by promising to get his ward settled abroad. Hardial Singh, a local resident, had filed his complaint in the mid of December through e-mail while alleging that he gave Rs 4.95 lakh to the accused, identified as Rajdeep Kaur, a resident of Jalandhar, to send his son Harmanpreet Singh abroad. The accused did not keep his promise. He said when he asked her to return the money, she returned only Rs 1 lakh to him. Following the initial probe, the police have registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 13 of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act. — TNS Farmers’ ‘Jail Bharo’ stir for loan waiver Our Correspondent Tarn Taran, March 1 On the first day of the statelevel ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) agitation launched by the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, a 51-member jatha (delegation) presented itself for arrest before the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Friday. They gheraoed the DC office and demanded their arrest, but to no avail. They have been demanding complete farm loan waiver. The KMSC announced a dharna in front of the local district administrative complex for an indefinite period from March 2 (every Saturday) till the acceptance of their demands. Satnam Singh Pannu, state president of the committee, while addressing the workers, condemned the state and the Union Government, terming then anti-farmers and anti-labour. Pannu said Capt Amarinder Singh as well as Narendra Modi had failed to fulfill the promises made to the agitating sections before Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections. He said the KMSC wanted waiver of the entire debt of farmers and mazdoors (labourers) and implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations for better minimum support prices of crops. Other leaders of the organisation too spoke on the occasion. Official hurt as pistol goes off Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 1 Vijay Kumar, Executive Engineer, Municipal Corporation (MC), sustained a bullet injury in his thigh when his pistol went off accidentally at the civic body’s head office in Ranjit Avenue. Kumar was at the Mayor’s office as a meeting of officials with Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu and MC Commissioner Sonali Giri was scheduled. According to information, Vijay Kumar entered the hall a few minutes before the meeting. He was carrying his pistol. Suddenly, the hook of the case broke and pistol fell on the ground. Vijay Kumar received a bullet injury in his thigh. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Woman robbed of ~1 lakh, four nabbed Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 1 The city police have arrested four youth for allegedly robbing a woman of her scooter along with Rs 1 lakh here on Thursday. Incidentally, two of the suspects, who had snatched the scooter, were known to her two friends who were also nabbed. They have been identified as Udhav Kapur of Shivala Colony, Rahul Ahuja of Sun- dar Nagar, Sukhwinder Singh of Tung Pai on Batala road and Sidharth Rakesh Kumar of Sawan Nagar. A case under Sections 379-B and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against them. They were brought on a twoday police remand for interrogation. Complainant Rakhi Mehra stated to the police that she came to Ranjit Avenue market on her scooter (PB02BE3125) carrying Rs 1 lakh. She said the accused came on two motorcycles and forcibly took away her scooter. Gurdial Singh, investigating officer, said the initial probe indicated that the victim knew two of the suspects, Udhav Kapoor and Rahul Ahuja. The victim, a makeup artist, had come to purchase an expensive mobile phone. The two youth informed their friends about the cash she was carrying, who carried out robbery. The police have recovered a Bullet bike (PB46AB1887) and a Hero Passion (PB02AY9473). The victim’s scooter and Rs 82,000 have been recovered, the police said. In another incident, two unknown motorcycle-borne persons snatched a mobile phone from a local resident, identified as Varun Mittal, who was waiting for a bus outside Hall Gate. The police have registered a case under Sections 379-B and 34 of the IPC in this connection.

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).